Fire-escape



(No Model.)

- 3 Sheets- Sheet 1. L. HILL. FIREESGAPB.

No. 415,867. 'Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

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L. HILL.

- i PIRE ESCAPE. l No. 415,867. Patented NOV. 26, 1839.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets--SheeiI4 3. L. HILL. PIRE ESCAPE.

No. 415,867. Patented'Nov. 26, 1889.

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LEVI l-IILL, 0F MUNCY, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,867, dated November26, 1889.

Application led October 11, 1889. Serial No. 326,725. (No model.) i

To LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEVI HILL, a citizen of the United States, residingat Muncy, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Fire-Escapes; and Idohereby declare the following to be afuli, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes in which agovernor mechanism is used for securinga moderate speed and regulatingthe descent of a person, in combination with a device whereby the persondescending can stop at any place when he so desires. These areimprovements upon the iireescape patented to me August 28, 1888, `andnumbered 388,491, and which will be hereinafter more particularlydescribed and pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figurel is a perspective view showing the tire-escape in op` eration. Fig. 2is an end view of the apparatus. Fig. 8 is a View of the apparatus forstopping the descent. Fig. 4 is a side view of the apparatus.

A indicates a suitable frame of castings adapted to be secured within abox to a true-k or to any other movable vehicle; or it may also besecured to the base,outside of abuilding, or to any other object, insideor outside, so that it will be immovable when used to deliver persons orthings from a building'.

In Fig. l the machinery attached to the frame A is 'secured to a truckB, which is sufficiently heavy to sustain the weight of a persondescending from the window of the building.

D is a winding-drun'l loosely secured to the shaft E. A ratchet F andtwo spring-pawls G G serve to connect the drum to its shaft. The ratchetis secured to the shaft E and the pawls to the drum D at Il.

I, Fig. 4, indicates a loose pinion on the shaft E, and which is securedto the drum D that it may always rotate with the drum.

N is a spur-wheel gearing with the pinion I, and is fixed upon the shaftO, so that the drum D, pinion I, wheel N, and shaft O always rot-atetogether.

P is a coiled spring, secured at one end to shaft O and at the other toa bolt passing through the disks R R, which disks inclose the spring.

S is a lowering-cable, preferably made of asbestus or asbestus compound,secured at one end to the drum D, and when the machine is to be used forlowering persons or things from a building the other end is to be passedover a pulley or pulleys, as the peculiar case may require.

The shaft O is sustained at its inner end in a standard A of the frameA. In this standard A', on the opposite side, is one end of a shaft O.The other end of shaft O passes through the outer standard A of frame A,and on this outer end of shaft OA is a centrifugal mechanism consistingof a spur-wheel J', rigidly xed to the shaft E and gearing with a pinion.Lixed on the shaft O of the governor mechanism, which consists of afixed disk Z, secured to the frame A, and having the annular iiange g,which operates as a frictionsurface for the brake-shoes cl d.

a is a spider fixed to the shaft O' and ro-V tates within theiiange-disk Z. rlhis spider carriers upon it two sets of pivoted leversb c, which are exactly alike and are placed opposite each other on thespider. The lever c is provided with a brake-shoe d and with a spring c,seated upon a lug f, projecting from the spider and bearing radiallyoutward against the lever c and always tending to keep the brakeshoe outof contact with the inside of the flange g. The long arln of the leverl) is weighted at 71, so that when the spider is rotated centrifugalforce tends to throw it outward tangentially,` the effect of which isinstantly to force the brake-shoe against the inner surface of theflange g.A These parts are so adjusted that as soon as the rotation ofthe windingdrum reaches a certain moderate degree of rapidity atwhich itwill be desirable to check the speed of lowering, the brake-shoes willthen instantly be forcedpagainst the inner surface of the flange g,which checks the speed and secures perfect safety' in lowering.

From the description of this machine it will be seen that whenever thelowering-cord S is paid out so as to lower a person the effect will beto wind up the spring P by means of IOO the pinion I and spur-wheel N onthe springshaft O.

In addition to the governor mechanism I have provided for another brake,not only to assist the one above described, but also to arrest thedescending person at any7 point which may be desired, or who can himselfstop whenever he wishes to do so.

On the shaft E is pivoted a brake-lever L, one side of which, at oneend, is curved to ccrrespond wit-h the circumference of abrakewheel L onthe shaft O inside of the gears .I J. On the long end of lever L is ahandle Z, Which may be used by the hand of the person who is to turn thehandle T, so as to assist in controlling` the descent of the cord S withits Weight; but a cord Z can be attached t0 the handle Z and carried upto a small pulley s', Fig. l, below the pulley s, and brought down tothe hands of the person descending, so that he can regulate his owndescent or stop whenever it may be requisite.

To operate this apparatus in case of fire, if the box containing theapparatus be secured inside of a building, it should be under thewindow-sill. Within the box is placed the necessary tackle to beattached to a hook or other conveniencein the frame of the window. Thistackle is so arranged that any one can in a moment attach it to thehook. The belt can be strapped around the person and he can immediatelystep out of the window. If

necessary, a strong basket can be conveniently attached to the loose endof the cord, and a child or invalid person can be placed in it.

Vhen the apparatus is used outside of a building then the tackle can beraised to the window by any of the ordinary means, either by anextension-rod or by a ladder. The box is supplied with screwdiooks andother conveniences. Any bar, similar to the one shown in Fig. l acrossthe window, can be easily procured and sent up and placed at any windowwhere necessary. These do not'constitute any part of my invention, butcan be used where requisite.

I claim- The combination of the Winding-drum and lowering-cord securedthereto, the shaft E, connected to the drum by the ratchet and twopawls, the pinion I, the wheel N, geared to the pinion I and secured tothe shaft O, the

coiled spring P, the shaft O', brake-Wheel L and brake-Wheel lever L,the spur-gear .I and pinion J on shaft O', and the centrifugal governing mechanism secured to the shaft E, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEVI HILL.

Titnessesz v 1 3. L. BOWMAN, DE LA GREEN.

